Vine: The good, the bad and the downright ugly

It hasn’t been available for long but Vine is already taking the app and Twitter worlds by storm.

What is Vine you may ask? Simply put, Vine is an iOS app which allows you to record six second videos that are then uploaded to Twitter. It’s basically a cool way to get gifs on Twitter.

Vine has already been the subject of some controversy too – porngate in particular, which saw some pretty NSFW footage being the top of the Editor’s Picks on Vine. That was blamed on human error.

So what is so great about Vine? Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the downright ugly features of Vine.

The Good

It’s an amazing way to get a message across without taking up too much time.

You can stop and start filming with ease as Vine only films when you’re touching the screen.

You can embed a Vine, so it’s not just for Twitter. To do so use this code – <p><iframe src=”URLOfTheVineYouWantToEmbed/card” width=”380″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″></iframe></p>

You don’t need iOS to view a Vine – you can view them through Twitter or 3rd party sites like VinePeek which plays a random Vine.

It records sound too, so you can get even more creative

Vines are easy to share – add a username for sharing on Twitter or simply send someone the link to your Vine.

It’s the nearest thing we have to a gif that is simple to create

It can be integrated to FaceBook too.

The Bad

You need iOS to record a Vine – so if you’re not an Apple fan then you’re out of the Vine club!

The reviews of Vine aren’t so great – here’s what the first three reviews are titled and you’ll get the picture: ‘Crash, Fail, Wallop’, ‘Great Idea, Bad Tech’ and ‘Cool But Buggy’. None are exactly gleaming reviews.

Anyone can see your Vines – as will all social media it’s easy for people to find what you’ve uploaded.

You can’t record a Vine and upload it later – you have to upload it when you film it.

The Downright Ugly

It crashes – a lot. One Vine took 6 attempts to upload, so it’s not always good for on the spot filming.

Uploads fail a lot too so a quick six second video can soon turn into 10 minutes of filming.

Have you been using Vine? What are your thoughts on the app – a fad that’ll pass or a great new way to interact? Let us know in the comments below!